Bacon 400 Events

Bacon 400 Commemoration in 2026:
Promoting Awareness & Appreciation of the Life, Works, & Legacy of Sir Francis Bacon

Bacon 400 will be a significant year-long commemoration marking the 400th anniversary of the death of Sir Francis Bacon, one of history’s greatest philosophers, scientists, writers and statesmen. His home and final resting place, St Albans will be the focal point for global commemorations, featuring lectures, exhibitions, and community activities that celebrate his enduring legacy. Many other places around the world will also be planning Francis Bacon events.

Should anyone have any ideas they would like to explore or companies that may like to offer sponsorship please contact us here at the Society for advice and support. francis.bacon.society.@gmail.com

Bacon 400 Events confirmed so far. Many more are in development and will be posted shortly. Below the bullet list there is DETAILED EVENT PROGRAMME INFORMATION and details of booking.

• Tuesday 20th January 2026 – Francis Bacon Pilgrimage, Jonathan Tod & Peter Dawkins FBRT event and lunch – Starts St Martin-in-the-Fields, London 10.00am Book Here
• Thursday 22nd January 2026 – Fireside Chat with Suzannah Lipscomb & Jesse Norman – Gorhambury, St Albans 7.00pm Book Here
• Monday 2nd February 2026 - Book Publication of A New Way to Know: Curiosity Isn't a Flaw, It's a Revolution by Jeremy D Scholz Order Here:  Amazon   Barnes & Noble
  
• Saturday 7th February 2026 -  Publication of a Three-Part Series Birth of the Modern Mind by Dr Edi Bilimoria  Accessible to All Details below 
• Friday 20th February 2026 11:30am - 2:30pm - Sir Francis Bacon and Gray's Inn - Tour Step inside Gray’s Inn and explore its historic grounds and rare archive material, including stories connected to Francis Bacon. Open to all. Book Here
• Sunday 1st  March – Wednesday 29th April 2026 - Display of Francis Bacon Books at the Senate House Library, University of London FREE to All Details below
• Wednesday 18th March 2026 – Joint Evensong with St Michael’s Choir, Trinity Cambridge & St Albans School – St Michael’s Church, St Albans 4.00pm
• Thursday 9th April 2026 – The launch of the online Francis Bacon Image Gallery View Here
• Thursday 9th April 2026 – Talk by Sir Mark Rylance & Peter Dawkins St Michael’s Church, St Albans Book Here
• Thursday 23rd April 2026 – Monday 7^th September 2026 – Family Friendly Francis Bacon Exhibition – St Albans’ Museum, Assembly Room
• Monday 13th April – Thursday 7^th May 2026 – Francis Bacon Exhibition at St Albans Cathedral, St Albans More Information Here
• Wednesday 15th April 2026 – Members' Tour & Celebratory Lunch at Gray’s Inn, London
• Thursday 9th April 2026 - Monday 15th June 2026 Exhibition at Trinity College, Cambridge ‘Lord of Induction and of Verulam: Francis Bacon after 400 years’ is open to visitors to the Wren Library weekdays 12-2pm and Saturday mornings during term-time, 10.30am-12.30pm More Details
• Saturday 25th April 2026 – Deborah Spring Talk “Nichodemites and Nonconformists” The Bacons and Religious Change in England – Alban Room at St Albans Cathedral, St Albans 1.30pm-3.00pm Book Here
• Thursday 14th May 2026 – Gorhambury Bacon Walk (Easy) – Gorhambury Estate, 10.00am Book Here
• Tuesday 19th May 2026 – Arch and Arch Talk by Lucy Hughes-Hallett: Bacon and Buckingham, 7.45pm
• Thursday 21st May 2026 – Gray’s Inn Archive Event
• Sunday 31st May 2026 - Monday 1st June 2026 Our Shakespeare Performance by FBS Trustee Jono Freeman as part of the Rik Mayall Comedy Festival in Droitwich Spa presents Our Shakespeare a riotous romp, exploring how a humble tradesman from Stratford upon Avon became the global legend Shakespeare. Droitwich Spa, Worcs. Book Here
• Monday 15th June 2026 – Gorhambury Bacon Walk (Medium) – Gorhambury Estate, 10.00am Book Here
• Tuesday 16th June 11:30am - 2:30pm - Sir Francis Bacon and Gray's Inn - Tour Step inside Gray’s Inn and explore its historic grounds and rare archive material, including stories connected to Francis Bacon. Open to all. Book Here
• Thursday 25th June 2026 – Paula Henderson Talk: Sir Francis Bacon’s ‘Greater Perfection’ and his love of gardens and plants- Serge Hill 6.30pm Book Here
• June 2026 – Meditation at Bacon’s Mount, Gorhambury, St Albans
• Saturday 4th July 2026 -All Day Event - Francis Bacon’s Founding Role in the Democratic Constitution of the USA - a day event celebrating the 46^th Anniversary of the FBRT and the 250^th Anniversary of the Independence of the USA, St Michael’s Church Parish Centre, St Albans Book Here
• Saturday 11^th July – The Winding Stair Performance – St Albans, 1.30pm, 4.00pm, 6.30pm  Book Here
• Saturday 11th July 2026 – Tudor Fayre – St Michael’s Church, St Albans, 11am – 4.00pm More Details Below
• Sunday 12th July 2026 – St Michael’s Worship. In celebration of Sir Francis Bacon’s 400th anniversary, all the music at the 09.30 service on July 12th will be contemporaneous with his historical time and the 1662 liturgy will be used. All are welcome
• Monday 13th July - Saturday 29th August 2026 - Cambridge Shakespeare Festival - FBS Trustee Jono Freeman to appear as Friar Francis in Much Ado About Nothing at St John's College and as Oberon and Theseus in A Midsummer Night's Dream at Trinity College Cambridge - Book Here
• Throughout August and until 7th September 2026 - Sir Francis Bacon - A Man for all Time? Free exhibition about Francis Bacon's Essays and their enduring contemporary relevance at St Michael's Church, St Albans
• Thursday 10th September 2026 - Gorhambury Bacon Walk (Hard) – Gorhambury Estate, 10.00am Book Here
• Thursday 17th September 2026 7.30pm - 9.00pm - The Sixteen - St Michael's Church, St Albans Book Here
• Sunday 20th September 2026 5pm -6.30pm - Anthony & Francis Bacon, Shakespeare & the Intelligence Network FBRT Zoom Talk Book Here
• Tuesday 22nd September 2026 6.30-7.30pm St Olave’s : The Hidden History & Legacy of Tudor Espionage FBS Talk at St Olave’s Church, London. Tickets available Book Here
• Thursday 8th October - Friday 9th October 2026 - International symposium on the theme “Bacon and European modernity”, at the Francophone Regional Centre for Advanced Research in Social Sciences (CEREFREA) in Bucharest, Romania More details Here
• Thursday 5th November 2026 11:30am - 2:30pm - Sir Francis Bacon and Gray's Inn - Tour Step inside Gray’s Inn and explore its historic grounds and rare archive material, including stories connected to Francis Bacon. Open to all. Book Here 
• Saturday 5th December 2026 - FBS Zoom Talk to the Daphne du Maurier Society of North America on Daphne du Maurier as a Baconian, Vice-President of the Francis Bacon Society and as author of Golden Lads & The Winding Stair, excellent biographies of Anthony & Francis Bacon
• Sunday 20th December - The Mystery of the Christmas Saturnalia & Knights of the Helmet Zoom FBRT Zoom Talk Book Here

DETAILED EVENT INFORMATION

FRANCIS BACON ONLINE IMAGE GALLERY

Art Historian and Society Member Eric Roberts has created an extraordinary and unique online exhibition for Bacon 400, featuring images of Francis Bacon, including paintings, engravings, sculptures, medals, and modern representations and cartoons.

This unique project  View Here

PUBLICATION OF A NEW WAY TO KNOW
BY JEREMY D SCHOLZ
TUESDAY 2ND FEBRUARY 2026

 

Published Monday 2nd February 2026
Jeremy Scholz is an award-winning author, educator, and lifelong storyteller based in Arizona. Before entering the world of professional writing, Jeremy dedicated 25 years to science education, a career distinguished by his recognition as County Teacher of the Year.

"A New Way to Know, is an empowering and inspirational read and will clearly speak to young readers of a world where all things are possible. For adults it provides a powerful re-examination of Bacon’s life and legacy and serves as a catalyst to perhaps recapture the wonder and hope of our youth." Foreword by Sally Gibbins, Principal of the Francis Bacon Society

In a world ruled by kings, queens, and strict rules, young Francis Bacon is anything but ordinary. While other boys memorize Latin verbs and follow orders without question, Francis asks the questions no one else dares to ask: Why does water move the way it does? How do bees know exactly where to go? And what if the world isn’t exactly what the books say it is?
From the bustling halls of Queen Elizabeth’s court to the risky friendships with ambitious nobles, Francis must navigate loss, loyalty, and the temptations of power. Along the way, he discovers that curiosity can be both dangerous and brilliant—and that true understanding comes from observing, experimenting, and thinking for yourself.
Part historical adventure, part scientific discovery, part coming-of-age story, A New Way to Know is the story of a boy who would grow up to change how the world learns forever.

Order here: Amazon   Barnes & Noble

PUBLICATION OF A THREE-PART SERIES BIRTH OF THE MODERN MIND BY DR EDI BILIMORIA 2026

"As we approach the four-hundredth anniversary of the passing of Sir Francis Bacon in 1626, it becomes more important than ever to re-examine the historical record surrounding his life – and, perhaps more crucially, the esoteric and intellectual revolution of which he was the quiet architect. Among the most significant of these contested zones is the authorship of the so-called Shakespearean works. Far from a quaint literary curiosity, this question opens upon a profound philosophical enquiry into the origins of genius and the hidden esoteric forces shaping the birth of the modern mind."

Dr Edi Bilimoria asks the Important Questions:

Part I: The Shakespeare Delusion – Who Wrote the Plays?
Read Here
Part II: Francis Bacon & the Rosicrucian Work – What were the Plays for?
Read Here
Part III: Bacon’s Legacy & the Future of Consciousness – Why Does this Matter Now?
Read Here

FAMILY FRIENDLY FRANCIS BACON DISPLAY - "A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO FRANCIS BACON" ST ALBANS MUSEUM ASSEMBLY ROOM
THURSDAY 23RD APRIL - MONDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER 2026

Thursday 23rd April – Monday 7th September 2026
"A Beginner's Guide to Francis Bacon" Find out who Francis Bacon is, what he is famous for and how he links to our world today.

St Albans Museum is hosting a Francis Bacon display during Bacon 400 to support events happening across the city. It will be the go-to place that has an informative and accessible overview to who Francis Bacon actually is and some of the important things he was involved in.

Open to All - Free Entry

CAMBRIDGE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL 13TH JULY – 29TH AUGUST 2026

The annual Cambridge Shakespeare Festival is in its 39th year and runs throughout July and August and is performed in the beautiful gardens of the Colleges of Cambridge University.

"No knee-bending to trendy revisionism, but rather a tour-de-force of Elizabethan drama"   The Times

This year, FBS Trustee Jono Freeman is to appear as Friar Francis in Much Ado About Nothing at St John's College and as Oberon and Theseus in A Midsummer Night's Dream at Trinity College Cambridge.

Open to all. More details here

SIR FRANCIS BACON: A MAN FOR ALL TIME? AN ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION - ST MICHAEL'S CHURCH, ST ALBANS

Throughout August and until 7th September

This display at St Michael's Church, St Albans is free to all and explores the Essays of Francis Bacon, which reflect on profound topics such as truth, death and love, alongside broader social issues like religion and ambition.  It considers their enduring relevance for contemporary life.

Free to all

See how music responded to a time of political and religious upheaval, when the English language flowered alongside Latin, and new perspectives turned old certainties upside down.

ANTHONY & FRANCIS BACON, SHAKESPEARE & THE INTELLIGENCE NETWORK - SUNDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER 2026  Sunday 20th September 2026 5.00pm - 6.30pm

A talk on Zoom by Peter Dawkins about the role of the Bacon brothers, Anthony and Francis, in the Shakespeare project and intelligence network.

Both Francis and Anthony Bacon were poets, both received an in-depth Renaissance education and training, both were initiates of the Rosicrucian fraternity, and both were involved in the Elizabethan intelligence network, all of which supplied much of the inspiration, source material, detailed information and assistance required in the composing of the Shakespeare poems, sonnets and plays.

Moreover, both brothers were extremely close friends, who were devoted to each other and dedicated to their grand purpose.

Many things about Anthony Bacon are not widely known, as he was a secret person, so one of the purposes of this talk is make known more widely some of the little known or more hidden things about Anthony.

THE HIDDEN HISTORY & LEGACY OF TUDOR ESPIONAGE - TUESDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER 2026 

 

Tuesday 22nd September 6.30pm -7.30pm

Join the Francis Bacon Society at St Olave's Church, London to talk about the hidden world of Tudor Spies and intrigue centred around St Olave Hart Street. With music, letters and readings from the Tudor period, we will explore the important connections among notable parishioners of St Olave’s, including Elizabeth I’s spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham, poet Sir Philip Sidney, statesman Sir Francis Bacon, his brother cryptographer and spy Anthony Bacon, and court favourite the Earl of Essex.

The histories associated with these people and landmarks highlight the complex relationships and activities that shaped the perilous political affairs of the Tudor era and would leave a lasting legacy to the world of espionage and national security.

Tickets for the talk are £5 and available Here

PAST BACON 400 EVENTS

TUDOR FAIR & FLOWER EXTRAVAGANZA - ST MICHAEL'S CHURCH, CHURCHYARD & PADDOCK, ST ALBANS
SATURDAY 11TH JULY 2026

Saturday 11th July 2026 11am-4pm

An afternoon of fun for all the family. With living history from legendary Tudor re-enactors ‘The Suffolk Free Company’, Tudor games and refreshments, a flower extravaganza in church, Tudor music and dance, and lots more, this is a summer fair not to miss!

Open to All - Free Entry

FRANCIS BACON'S FOUNDING ROLE IN THE DEMOCRATIC CONSTITUTION OF THE USA, ST MICHAEL'S CHURCH PARISH CENTRE, ST ALBANS
SATURDAY 4TH JULY 2026

Saturday 4th July 2026 10.30am - 5.30pm
A fascinating day event celebrating the 46^th Anniversary of the FBRT and the 250^th Anniversary of the Independence of the USA.

The day will consider Sir Francis Bacon’s inspirational, guiding and practical role in founding democracy in North America, wherein (ideally) all men and women are considered to be created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, with a guarantee of freedom of speech and faith, and the right of every citizen to vote.

Francis Bacon’s role in the Virginia Company, especially his work on the second and third Charters that promoted democratic governance will be examined. Also considered will be his titles, links to English Speculative Freemasonry, connections between Masonic Constitutions and the U.S. Constitution, and his utopian ideals in New Atlantis. The event will also reflect upon the symbolism of Bacon’s Memorial Monument and its ties to St Alban’s Shrine and Jamestown, Virginia.

Tickets £75. For information and booking, please contact the FBRT Secretary:
Email: sarah@fbrt.org.uk. Tel: 01295 678 623

DISPLAY OF FRANCIS BACON BOOKS AT THE SENATE HOUSE LIBRARY, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON
SUNDAY 1ST MARCH - WEDNESDAY 29TH APRIL 2026

Sunday 1st  March – Wednesday 29 April 2026
The Senate House Library is the central library for the University of London and the School of Advanced Study. One of the UK's largest academic libraries for arts, humanities & social sciences and includes many collections of national and international importance. Including within their collection is the Francis Bacon Society Library comprising of around 1,300 books and pamphlets pertaining to Sir Francis Bacon, many with Baconian annotations.

“Francis Bacon, Polymath”: a Free Display at Senate House Library, University of London, 1 March - 29 April 2026.

The display is in three cases and features works by Sir Francis Bacon and works showing his legacy. There is also the Caxton exhibition in the main exhibition area where a free guided tour is available: Caxton and Beyond: The English Print Revolution - a guided tour Tickets, Multiple dates | Eventbrite

In his work Novum Organum (1620), Francis Bacon identified the printing press, gunpowder, and the magnetic compass as three critical inventions that changed the face of the world and Bacon argued that the printing press had one of the greater impacts on human affairs as it revolutionised literature, education, and the spread of information.

Sir Francis Bacon (1561–1626) and William Caxton (c. 1422–1491) were both pivotal figures in the development of English literature, language, and knowledge dissemination, operating roughly a century apart. Caxton established the technology that enabled the mass dissemination of ideas, while Bacon utilised that technology to revolutionise scientific thought.

Connection and Historical Impact

• The Printing Revolution: Bacon’s advancements in science depended heavily on the accessibility of knowledge created by printers like Caxton.
• Prose Development: While Caxton established the foundation for English prose in the late 15th century, Bacon perfected a more scientific, direct, and economical style in the early 17th century.
• Impact on Thought: Both men are seen as revolutionary figures: Caxton for changing how books were made and distributed, and Bacon for changing how humanity thought about nature and truth.

Open to all - Free Entry

TALK - THE BACONS & RELIGIOUS CHANGE IN TUDOR ENGLAND - ST ALBANS CATHEDRAL ALBAN ROOM
SATURDAY 25TH APRIL 2026

TOUR & CELEBRATORY LUNCH AT GRAY’S INN, LONDON
WEDNESDAY 15TH APRIL 2026

Wednesday 15th April 2026
As part of the Bacon 400 celebrations, Members and Friends will be invited to gather at historic Gray’s Inn in order to commemorate the extraordinary legacy of Sir Francis Bacon, as well as to celebrate the 140^th Anniversary of the founding of The Francis Bacon Society.

The event will include a fascinating tour of Gray’s Inn, home for many years of Sir Francis Bacon, and we will also have lunch in the magnificent Great Hall. ‘Steeped in the timeless legacy of Gray’s Inn, the Hall stands as a living testament to history’ and preserves its Elizabethan charm with historic paintings and heraldic shields on the walls, stained-glass windows dating back to 1462, and the oak Great Screen from the early 1570s. The Great Hall is the scene of many masques organised by Francis Bacon and the first known performance of Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors.

SIR FRANCIS BACON & GRAY'S INN - TOUR
FRIDAY 20TH FEBRUARY 2026

Friday 20th February 2026 11.30 am
Step inside Gray’s Inn and explore its historic grounds and rare archive material, including stories connected to Francis Bacon.

The tour of the Estate is planned to cover the Walks, Chapel, Library, Hall, Small Pension Room, Large Pension Room and Benchers Library.

There is also the option to have lunch in the Inn Dining Hall, for which there is an additional cost of £22.

FIRESIDE TALK WITH SUZANNAH LIPSCOMB & JESSE NORMAN IN THE GREAT HALL GORHAMBURY HOUSE
THURSDAY 22ND JANUARY 2026 7.00PM

Thursday 22nd July 2026 7.00pm
Join Suzannah and Jesse by the fireside in the Great Hall at Gorhambury House in front of Francis Bacon’s portrait and the chimney piece from his Tudor house – Old Gorhambury. The historians are not only launching a series of events commemorating Francis Bacon, but the first of many fireside talks we hope to host at Gorhambury.

PILGRIMAGE IN LONDON – THE FIRST OF MANY CELEBRATIONS FOR SIR FRANCIS BACON IN 2026
TUESDAY 2OTH JANUARY 2026 10-4.30PM

Tuesday 20th January 2026 10.00am -4.30pm
Please come and join us for this special pilgrimage celebrating Sir Francis Bacon, Viscount St Alban. 2026 is the Quatercentenary of the death and burial of Francis Bacon, and this pilgrimage is the inner or more private beginning of the public celebrations which will unfold over the course of the year.

This 2026 London pilgrimage will start at St Martin-in-the-Fields, where Francis Bacon was baptised on 25 January 1561, then proceed to the site of York House, Bacon’s London home when growing up and then later when he was Lord Keeper and Lord Chancellor. After this we will walk to the site of Essex House, where the Shakespeare Circle used to meet. Essex House (previously Leicester House) was built on the site of the Outer Temple of the Knights Templar.

We will then pilgrimage to the Middle Temple Inn of Court containing Middle Temple Hall where some Shakespeare plays were performed. After this we will progress to the Temple Bar Memorial, which marks the division between the Liberty of the City of London and the Liberty of Westminster.

Our final visit will be to the Inner Temple Inn of Court, where we will have a celebratory lunch in the Luncheon Room which has been reserved for our private use. After lunch we will visit Temple Church, the round church of the Knights Templar.

The Inner Temple Inn of Court twins Gray’s Inn of Court, where Francis Bacon had his chambers and was Treasurer. Twinship is the key to everything.

There will be a pre-pilgrimage talk on Zoom by Peter Dawkins at 5pm (GMT) on Sunday 18 January.

Events, Talks & Places of Interest

During the course of the year the FBS will post events, talks and places of interest that we feel may be beneficial to those interested in Francis Bacon, his life and works and the Elizabethan and Jacobean period in general. These will include general events and sites that are open to the public as well as FBS Member Only events that need to be booked with The Society.

The general interest posts are not organised or necessarily endorsed by the Society and are for information purposes only.

2025 TALKS

WORDS, WORDS, WORDS INTERVIEW

Discussion of Sir Francis Bacon's connection to the Shakespeare works with Joe Nowak of 'Words, Words, Words' interviewing Trustee & Member of the Council of the Francis Bacon Society Jono Freeman

Watch here

PLACES OF INTEREST

CANONBURY TOWER, ISLINGTON, LONDON

Notable people associated with Canonbury Tower in Islington, London include Thomas Cromwell and Anne of Cleves. In 1616 Francis Bacon leased the Tower which still survives intact to the present day. Throughout the last decade of his life Bacon held regular secret meetings here with his Fellowship where plans were discussed for a Universal Reformation of the Whole World.

In the twentieth century Canonbury Tower was headquarters to the Francis Bacon Society and until recently the Canonbury Masonic Research Centre. For more than four hundred years it has remained in the ownership of the same family and today is owned by the Marquess Spencer Compton of Northampton.

Canonbury Tower is the oldest building in Islington and has fascinating Tudor interiors as well as amazing views across London from its tower.

Open to the Public  More Information & Booking

GORHAMBURY, ST. ALBANS, HERTFORDSHIRE

Lord Keeper Nicholas Bacon chose St Albans in Hertfordshire for his new mansion Gorhambury. By 1568 Gorhambury was complete and a very extensive country house built of flint and stone, it had a magnificent porch, cloisters, chapel, buttery, kitchens, ballroom and gardens and an innovative pumping system to bring water through lead pipes.

Gorhambury was an academy of learning for his young sons Anthony and Francis and in 1572 it was Sir Nicholas Bacon’s turn to welcome Queen Elizabeth to Gorhambury for three days of feasting and entertainments.

By the 18th century the house had sadly fallen into disrepair and New Gorhambury House was built. The Bacon’s Gorhambury ‘The Academy of Learning’ was left to crumble in the parkland that surrounds it. The ruins of what must have been a truly magnificent and inspiring place to live.

Open to the Public More Information

PAST EVENTS

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME at the White Bear Theatre, London
8th-11th October 2025

Following a successful Southwest UK tour in 2024 this provocative new play makes its London Fringe debut.

When a young journalist probes the truth behind Shakespeare's plays, she unleashes a storm - online attacks, academic battles, and a rift with her scholar boyfriend. Blending sharp humour, Al investigation, and heated debate, the question is who shapes history - and who gets the credit.

Written by Lou Beckett (Bletchley Girls, We Can’t Be), her work explores hidden histories and untold truths, this production invites audiences to cast a vote on the legitimacy of the authorship debate 8-11^th October at the White Bear Theatre London.

Further information and tickets: here

SWAN FLIGHT ALONG THE MILKY WAY 25th October 2025

Shakespeare Mystery events in key Shakespeare places along the Milky Way of the landscape zodiac of Britain (England and Wales).

• 25th October 2025 – Shakespeare South

These places in England were identified by the Rosicrucian authors of the Shakespeare project as important locations for Shakespeare theatres, where the Shakespeare plays and other mysteries could be performed.

All FBRT events will be preceded by a public talk on Zoom given by Peter Dawkins, which will explain the importance of these three locations in terms of the stellar phenomena, the British landscape zodiac and the Shakespeare Rosicrucian work:

For all details see the FBRT website

MACBETH AT KEW GARDENS 18th July-31st August 2025

The Summer season of Shakespeare under the stars has kicked off with the internationally acclaimed Australian Shakespeare Company’s performance of Macbeth.

Following a critically commended sold-out Melbourne season, the ASC come to the UK and perform at Kew Gardens. Society’s Trustee and Member of the Council Jono Freeman joins the cast as Ross one of the Scottish noblemen.

The powerful, brooding and visceral performance is greatly enhanced by the setting and, “the experience of watching Shakespeare al fresco is something special.”  Arts Hub

Tickets for the performance also include entry to the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. The show runs until Sunday 31^st August. For more information & booking details see here

OXFORD SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL 23rd June – 16th August 2025

"A consistent and iconic fixture of Oxfordian summer culture"
Ox Magazine

The Oxford Shakespeare Festival is back for its 15th year with three Shakespeare productions, performed in the heart of Oxford live in the Castleyard throughout the summer.

Twelfth Night 23rd June-3rd July 2025
Twelfth Night 7th July-2nd August 2025
The Merry Wives of Windsor 4th August 2024-16th August 2024

Open to the Public  More Information & Booking

CAMBRIDGE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL 13th July – 29th August 2025

The annual Cambridge Shakespeare Festival runs throughout July and August and is performed in the beautiful gardens of the Colleges of Cambridge University.

"No knee-bending to trendy revisionism, but rather a tour-de-force of Elizabethan drama"   The Times

 

 

 

 

Open to the Public  More Information & Booking

SHAKESPEARE AUTHORSHIP TRUST MEMBERS’ SPRING GATHERING
Sunday 11^th May 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. (UK Time)

Free to paid Subscribers/Members
online with Zoom

• Welcome and Introduction: Dr. William Leahy, SAT Chairman
• Why the Declaration of Reasonable Doubt is (still) important: Sir Mark Rylance
• What Author Would Conceal His Name?: Julia Cleave
• Fiction as Historical Catalyst: Dr. Kristin Bundesen
• Roundtable discussion:Why authors choose fiction to express doubt.
  Sir Mark Rylance, author of I Am Shakespeare and Dr. Ros Barber, author of The Marlowe Papers facilitated by Dr. William Leahy.
• Readings and conclusion: Sir Mark Rylance and Dr. William Leahy

Become a paying subscriber/member and enjoy this online event. More details Here

THE MATHEMATICAL LIFE OF SHAKESPEARE Saturday 3rd May 2.00pm-3.15pm
The Royal Institution of Great Britain, London

What’s the connection between Shakespeare and maths? A lot, as it turns out!
Shakespeare grew up in a time of remarkable mathematical innovation. From astronomy to probability, music to multiplication, new mathematical ideas were taking off, and much of this was reflected in his work.

Join award-winning author Rob Eastaway as he explores the surprising and entertaining ways that maths and numbers crop up in Shakespeare’s plays. Find out how Tudors multiplied, why Shakespeare never ended a line with the word orange, and why dice-playing was a serious hazard for the unwary. With historical asides about games, optics, astronomy, music and magic, you will never think about maths or Shakespeare the same way again.

More details and Booking

TOUR & LUNCH AT CANONBURY TOWER, ISLINGTON, LONDON
Tuesday 15th April 2025

In order to celebrate our 139th birthday on 15th April the Francis Bacon Society is organising a special Members’ event at Canonbury Tower in Islington, London which includes a tour and lunch.

This extraordinary building is one of the oldest and most fascinating in Islington. Francis Bacon leased it from 1616-1625 and would have spent much of his time here which makes it an especially important place for Baconians.

FBS Members only Email the Society to Book

SHAKESPEARE AUTHORSHIP CONVENTION, MARYLEBONE THEATRE, LONDON Sunday 17th November 2024

The First Heir of my Invention

The mystery of the Southampton dedications and the genesis of Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. This year’s conference is a closer look at Shakespeare’s long poems and the Earl of Southampton, who is claimed to be “Shakespeare’s” patron. There will be an all-day in-person conference and a separate gala event in the evening.

More details and ticketing here

MACBETH AT BLETCHLEY PARK
Saturday 7th June 2025
The Duke’s Theatre Company

The Dukes Theatre Company’s production of Macbeth offers a dynamic reimagining of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy. The company brings a contemporary edge to the dark tale of ambition, murder and madness. More info here

TWELFTH NIGHT AT BLETCHLEY PARK Friday 1st August 2025
The Lord Chamberlain’s Men

The Lord Chamberlain’s Men perform Shakespeare’s greatest romantic comedy Twelfth Night. With a history stretching back to William Shakespeare’s original company, they present this joyous play as the first audience’s saw it– in the open air, with an all-male cast and Elizabethan costumes, music and dance.
More info here

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, KEW GARDENS, KEW
20th July- 1st September 2024

"Beautiful and Wickedly Entertaining"   The Age

FBS Trustee & Council Member Jono Freeman is to play Puck in The Australian Shakespeare Company’s highly acclaimed outdoor production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Kew Gardens, Kew. ‘A dazzling spectacle sure to delight audiences of all ages!’

This beguiling comedy of enchantment and transformation is brought to life within a dream-like woodland filled with feuding fairies, eloping lovers and a hapless troupe of actors.'

Open to the Public  More Information & Booking

FRANCIS BACON AND THE GHOST CHICKEN OF HIGHGATE
17th- 20th July 2024 The United Reformed Church, Pond Square, Highgate, London

The celebrated, scandalous and somewhat confused history of …Francis Bacon and the Ghost Chicken of Highgate. . .as presented by the esteemed players of Theatre in the Square

1974: Anne and Gilbert are courting in Pond Square when they are surprised by a glowing, ghostly chicken, distressed and half-plucked. Fleeing into a nearby pub, they’re surprised to learn from the locals that the ectoplasmic fowl has been seen before In Highgate. But what is its mysterious link to long-dead philosopher and father of empiricism, Francis Bacon?

17-20 July 2024
at 7.30 pm (Doors open at 7.00 pm)
Tickets £15.00 | On-Line Tickets £13.00

More Information & Booking

CAMBRIDGE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL 8th July – 24th August 2024

"No knee-bending to trendy revisionism, but rather a tour-de-force of Elizabethan drama"   The Times

The annual Cambridge Shakespeare Festival runs throughout July and August and is performed in the beautiful gardens of the Colleges of Cambridge University.

8th-27th July 2024
Antony & Cleopatra (Downing College)
Love’s Labour’s Lost  (St. John’s College)
Hamlet  (King’s College)
29th July -24th August 2024
Richard II (Trinity College)
The Merry Wives of Windsor (St. John’s College)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (King’s College)

Open to the Public  More Information & Booking

OXFORD SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL 17th June – 10th August 2024

"A consistent and iconic fixture of Oxfordian summer culture"
Ox Magazine

The Oxford Shakespeare Festival is back for its 14th year with three Shakespeare productions, performed in the heart of Oxford live in the Castleyard throughout the summer.

Romeo & Juliet & Troilus & Cressida 17th June-29th June 2024
Twelfth Night 1st July-27th July 2024
Hamlet 29th July 2024-10th August 2024

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THE BEAR PIT THEATRE, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON 10th May 2024

Part of The Stratford One Act Festival 9th - 11th May

Friday 10 May, 7:30pm
Three performances including Unfinished - Shakespeare Press Written by Andy Jaggard and directed by Tony Lawrence and Moira Shepherd

'Captain William Jaggard and his son Gerald run the Shakespeare bookshop in 1960s Stratford. In later life, Gerald decides to tell the true story of selling first folios, frauds, forgers, and great finds.
At heart, this is a family drama of how Gerald survived his father’s damaging legacy.'

Based on the book Shakespeare Press The Memoir Of Gerald Jaggard by Andy Jaggard.

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A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, SYDNEY 9th - 28th April 2024

"Beautiful and Wickedly Entertaining"   The Age

FBS Trustee & Council Member Jono Freeman is to play Puck in The Australian Shakespeare Company’s highly acclaimed outdoor production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Belvedere Amphitheatre, Centennial Park, Sydney. ‘A dazzling spectacle sure to delight audiences of all ages!’

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TOUR & LUNCH AT GRAY’S INN, LONDON Monday 15th April 2024

In order to celebrate our 138th birthday on 15th April the Francis Bacon Society is organising a special Members’ event at Gray’s Inn, one of the Inns of Court where Francis Bacon trained and spent much of his life. The Great Hall is the scene of many masques organised by Francis Bacon and the first known performance of Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors. The Hall was bombed during World War II but was re-built and many original features remain.

FBS Members only Email the Society to Book

PAST TALKS

THE MILKY WAY SHAKESPEARE ZOOM TALK Sunday 23rd March 2025, 17:00-18:30 GMT

Talk on Zoom by Peter Dawkins about the three key Shakespeare Theatre locations in England that were indicated by certain stellar phenomena in the heavens during the Elizabethan-Jacobean era and brought into being in the British landscape zodiac on earth.

The British landscape zodiac, which was first identified and laid out by the ancient Britons, and used by the initiates and rulers of successive cultures, was known to the 16^th/17^th century English Rosicrucians. As the extraordinary stellar phenomena occurred in the Milky Way during the Elizabethan-Jacobean times, so the English Rosy Cross Shakespeare fraternity set out to establish its counterpart on earth in the British (English) landscape zodiac, knowing that if they were successful, great things could occur.

These three Shakespeare Theatre locations exist today, and are thriving and helping to spread the Shakespeare inspiration, artistry, education and entertainment throughout the world. As the ancient axiom says, “Time brings forth the hidden truth,” so it is now the right time for the deeper reason to be known more publicly as to why this huge success has occurred – the reason being a science that the world has largely forgotten or ignored, or never appreciated or knew.

For those who attend the talk, there will be time for questions, answers and insights after the talk. This post-talk sharing is usually full of extra information.

To book, please contact the Organiser (FBRT).

On receipt of payment, the Zoom link will be sent to you.

A recording of the talk (but not of the sharing afterwards) can be made available for attendees if requested, as also for those who pay for the talk but do not attend it live on Zoom. Please contact the Organiser (FBRT).

THE SHAKESPEARE AUTHORSHIP ROUNDTABLE TALK
Saturday 19^th October 2024 11:00 am Pacific Time (US and Canada) Zoom Talk

The Society has been invited to speak at the Autumn Fundraiser of the Shakespeare Authorship Roundtable’s next talk, Shakespeare & Religion: The Elephant in the Writer’s Room

Peter Hodges will speak for Christopher Marlowe, Tom Woosnam for Edward de Vere and Sally Gibbins will be speaking for Francis Bacon.

It should be an interesting talk and an opportunity to let a wider audience know about Francis Bacon and his family’s direct influence upon the Reformation, as well as commentary through Bacon’s writings on one of the most momentous times in history.

Open to the Public  More Information here

THE WINDING STAIR TALK, THE INNER TEMPLE, LONDON
Monday 28th October 2024 

‘The Rt Hon Jesse Norman MP Former Treasury minister, author and Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford.

THE WINDING STAIR: Inside the bitter rivalry of Edward Coke and Francis Bacon (and its consequences)

The common lawyers Edward Coke and Francis Bacon were near contemporaries, giants in their fields, and toxic rivals for power, position and the hand of a woman. Jesse Norman tells the story and explains its impact.’

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ZOOM TALK Sunday 22 December 2024, 17:00-18:30 GMT

This illustrated talk on Zoom by Peter Dawkins is the last of the series of talks on Rosicrucian Cryptography that are being given in 2024 to celebrate the Quatercentenary of the publication in 1624 of the great cipher manual, Cryptomenytices et Cryptographiae (‘Cryptomenytics and Cryptography’), which gives a multitude of cryptographic keys to decrypting the Bacon-Shakespeare-Rosicrucian publications and correspondence.

As before, the main focus will be on the hidden meanings of the cryptographic pictures and their associated ciphers, but dealing this time with the deeply symbolic tailpieces (graphic endpieces) and highly revealing end page of Cryptomenytices.

For those who attend the talk, there will be time for questions, answers and insights after the talk. This post-talk sharing is usually full of information.

Cost: £15 per person. To book, please contact FBRT secretary: Email: info@fbrt.org.uk

A recording of the talk (but not of the sharing afterwards) can be made available for attendees if requested, as also for those who pay for the talk but do not attend it live on Zoom. Please contact FBRT secretary.

THE INNER TEMPLE, LONDON Tuesday 21^st May 2024

The Temple Shakespeare Cup (a.k.a The Shake Off) has returned for another year! Inner Temple and Middle Temple will each put on one hour of Shakespeare, with a winner declared at the end of the evening by a star-studded panel of judges.

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ZOOM TALK SATURDAY 25th May 7.30pm

Long time Francis Bacon Society member and Principal of the Francis Bacon Research Trust Peter Dawkins, is giving what promises to be a fascinating talk on zoom on cryptology, intelligencers and the extraordinary 1624 work Cryptomenytices & Cryptographiae with its links to Francis Bacon and the Shakespeare works.

For those who attend the talk, there will be time for questions, answers and insights after the talk.

Cost £15. Please email Sarah at FBRT for further details if you wish to attend. The fee for the talk can be paid through the donation button on the FBRT website

CRYPTIC MEANINGS OF ROSICRUCIAN HEADPIECES & OTHER SUCH EMBLEMS
Sunday 22 September 2024 17:00 UK time

Talk on Zoom by Peter Dawkins

A talk on the cryptography and meanings, divine and human, of the headpieces, and other such emblems used in the Shakespeare First Folio, Francis Bacon’s De Dignitate et Augmentis Scientiarum, Duke Augustus’ Cryptomenytices et Cryptographiae, and other associated books by Bacon and the Rosy Cross Fraternity.

This talk is the fourth of the series of five talks on Rosicrucian Cryptography that are being given to celebrate the Quatercentenary of the publication of the great cipher manual – a manual that provides keys to cryptography in publications such as the 1623 twin Folios, Francis Bacon’s De Dignitate et Augmentis Scientiarum and the Shakespeare First Folio, Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies, and other books authored by members of the Rosy Cross fraternity. It is a cryptography still useful (and used) today.

For those who attend the talk, there will be time for questions, answers and insights after the talk.

(This is Part 4 of the ‘Rosicrucian Cryptology’ series, and Part 9 of ‘The
Rosicrucian Mysteries’ series.)

Cost £15, payable to FBRT.

Please email Sarah on sarah@fbrt.org.uk for further details for anyone wishing to attend. Payment can be made via the donation button through PayPal or credit card on the home page: www.fbrt.org.uk